Geomorphology Savindra Singh UPSC (Geography)

Geomorphology Savindra Singh

The rapidly evolving discipline of geomorphology in the science of landforms, has undergone sea change in methodology and approaches to the study of land forms and related processes since 1945 when RE Herton introduced quantitative methods for the analysis of merphometric characteristics of fluvially originated drainage hasins. A clear-cut uleavage surfaced in the discipline in the form of evolutionary approach involving progressive changes (decay) in landforms through long time period and process-response approach involving equilibrium model and steady state of landform developrisent alier 1950 Thus the need of hour is to integrate the cycle concept involving long-term historical evolution of landforms and non cyclic concept involving dynamic equilibrium, functional and process response models on the one hand and micro-geomorphology involving smaller spatial and shorter temporal scales and mega geomorphology having larger spatial and longer temporal scales on the other hand

The usefulness of any branch of knowledge les in the lact that it helps in identifying and ameliorating the problems, faced by human society, arising out of interactions of honian activities and geomorphic and environmental systems. From this stand point the science of geomorphology is of paranmount significance as this science studies the genesis and development of surface features of the earth. Most of the problems, which the present-day society is concerned with, are related to environmental degradation caused by human activities related to rapacious exploitation and irrational utilization of natural resources consequent upon rapidly Increasing human population and advancement in science and technology since 1860 in general and after second world war in particular resulting in the emergence of man as a significant geomorphic agent with capacity of changing the earth’s surface at the rate many times faster than natural geomorphological processes Thus, the study of mode of changes brought in physical natural systenis by man, as anthropogenous geomorphological process, through his economic activities and several developmental projects has become of much relavance a anthropogenic geomorphology, a new branch of applied geomorphology within geomorphology

The present book has been designed and its subject matters have been arranged in 30 chapters keeping the aforesaid facts into consideration wherein different aspects of geomorphology viz theoretical geomorphology (nature of geomorphology, fundamental concepts, theories of landscape development, climatic geomorphology, isostasy, plate tectonics, mountain building, morphometry etc. 1. geological (structural) geomorphology (rocks, earth’s movement, structural geomorphology), weathering, massmovement and hillslopes, historical geomorphology (denudation chronology and erosion surfaces), river system (drainage system and pattern, morphometry of fluvially originated dramage basins, river valleys and channel morphology, systemane or process-geomorphology (fluvial, karst, coastal, aeolian, glacial and periglacial geomorphology), regional, applied and anthropogenic (environmental) geomorphology have been discussed at length with ample and appropriate examples from India

The author expresses hes gratefulness to his friend and colleague Prof. R.C. Tiwan for giving constructive suggestions from time to time. Thanks are due to Dr. Alok Dubey and Dr. S. S. Ojha, my students and colleagues in the department, for having fruitful discussions in the preparation of the text 1 thankfully acknowledge the help rendered by my youngest son, Fr, Pankaj, in preparing the index of the book The auther is very much thankful to all the geoscientists whose works have been directly or indirectly utilized in the persent book Similarly, the author places on record the thankfulness to the publisher’s readiness and active cooperation in releasing the book in its present form within shortest possible time.

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